Amid fraud claims, Brotherhood claims Egyptian referendum victory

Euronews

Jumping the gun, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood claims it garnered 56.5% of Saturday’s vote on the country’s new constitution, and predicted that the ‘yes’ camp would win.

It said its representatives at polling stations had made the forecast, although official results will not be published until after a second round of voting next Saturday.

It is likely to return a ‘yes’ vote as well, as it incudes districts and rural areas more supportive of the Brotherhood.

“Even if this result is true it doesn’t mean that this constitution should pass, because more than 40% of Egyptians did not agree to it,” said one Cairo man.

Tahrir Square is still in the hands of the opposition, which is crying foul at what they say are widespread examples of fraud. Only a third of the 26 million people eleigible to vote did so on Saturday.

Long queues at polling stations, returning officers closing for hours to attend prayers, voters being refused entry, or handing over their cards for others inside to vote for them have all been reported.

Once the poll closed crowds attacked the liberal Wafd party’s newspaper offices and party headquarters, but the rest of the day was calm.